From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

Security operatives attached to the state’s special security outfits, OP MESA, yesterday afternoon, killed an SS 2 student of Unity High School, Ago Ika, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

The SS 2 student, simply identified as Sadiat, was allegedly hit by a stray bullet fired by one of the OP MESA operatives. The 17-year-old girl was said to be walking out of the school premises after finishing her examination for the day, when the bullet hit her.

It was gathered that the OP MESA operatives were chasing one of the internet fraudsters, popularly referred to as”Yahoo-Yahoo boys”, who ran into the area, in an attempt to escape arrest. But, in the process, the security operatives allegedly shot directly at him without taking into cognisance the presence of the students trooping out of the school premises, as well as other passers-by.

The shot fired by the security operatives, however, hit Sadiat, the only daughter of her mother, who was pronounced “dead on arrival” at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi Aba, Abeokuta, where she was rushed for treatment. Three other students and a commercial motorcyclist were also hit by the stray bullets.

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The development was said to have infuriated Sadiat’s colleagues who stormed the Enu-Gada Police Post in the Ago Ika area, to protest her death. The students were said to have started throwing stones, broken bottles and other objects they could lay their hands on, until the most senior police officer on duty gave the directive that the students should be forcefully dispersed from the area.

An SS 1 student of the school, Rafiu Ibrahim, told Daily Sun that the security operatives shot directly at the students without regard to their safety.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, however, denied knowledge of the death of the SS 2 student.

Oyeyemi, who disclosed that a Police Inspector (name not disclosed) was hacked on the head, said that the security operatives were not chasing any “Yahoo-yahoo”,  but a notorious secret cultist, who had, for a long time, been on the wanted list of the police.

He explained that residents of the area colluded with the suspected cultists and attempted to prevent the security operatives from performing their lawful duty, hence the need to deploy minimum force to scare away the people.